Meet the new Cabinet as Keir Starmer appoints his top team

Keir Starmer has become the first Labour Prime Minister in 14 years after toppling the Tories with a thumping election victory.

In his first speech outside No10, Mr Starmer vowed to rebuild Britain "brick by brick" and restore voters trust after years of Conservative chaos and calamity. He said: "When the gap between the sacrifices made by people and the service they receive from politicians grows this big, it leads to a weariness in the heart of a nation, a draining away of the hope, the spirit, the belief in a better future.

"But we need to move forward together. Now this wound, this lack of trust can only be healed by actions not words, I know that. But we can make a start today with the simple acknowledgement that public service is a privilege and that your government should treat every single person in this country with respect."

Mr Starmer has appointed his top team as he begins his overhaul of the Government after 14 years of Conservative leadership.

Here's what you need to know about the new faces leading the country.

Angela Rayner - Deputy Prime Minister

Labour's first ever female Deputy PM has made a remarkable journey to the top of Government. Ms Rayner grew up on a council estate in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and became a single mum at 16.

She has spoken about how a Labour Government changed her life through its Sure Start programme, and she went on to become a care worker and union rep, before being elected as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne in 2015. She served under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and was elected by the membership as Deputy Leader in 2020.

Ms Rayner, 44, also becomes Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Has Labour made a promising start in government? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.

Rachel Reeves - Chancellor

History-maker Rachel Reeves becomes Britain's first female Chancellor - and one of the most powerful people in Government. She has developed a reputation for ruthless discipline on spending after spending the last few years restoring confidence in Labour on the economy.

The daughter of two teachers, Ms Reeves grew up in south London with her MP sister Ellie Reeves where she was a keen chess player. She worked as an analyst at the Bank of England before becoming MP for Leeds West in 2010. She refused to serve under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and instead chaired the Commons Business Committee. She became Shadow Chancellor in 2021.

Ms Reeves said it was "a historic responsibility" to be the first woman to be appointed Chancellor - and said it was a message to all girls and young women that "there should be no limits on your ambitions".

David Lammy - Foreign Secretary

David Lammy becomes Britain's top diplomat at a difficult and dangerous time. But he is one of the few senior figures who has experience of Government, holding ministerial roles under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Mr Lammy, whose parents came to the UK from Guyana, grew up in Tottenham, north London, and went on to become a barrister, studying at Harvard Law School. He became friends with Barack Obama and has close links with the Democrats in the US.

He was first elected in 2000 in a by-election and served the Blair and Brown governments but returned to the back benches in 2010 until Mr Starmer appointed him to the Shadow Cabinet in 2020. Mr Lammy, 51, was a vocal critic of Donald Trump during his period as a backbencher but has been on a charm offensive with Republicans since then.

Yvette Cooper - Home Secretary

First elected in Tony Blair's 1997 landslide, Yvette Cooper is one of the most experienced members of Mr Starmer's new Cabinet. She served as a minister in the New Labour years and in Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet but returned to the backbenches during Mr Corbyn's tenure.

She has been Shadow Home Secretary since 2021 and will go on to do one of the toughest jobs in Government. She is married to former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls.

John Healey - Defence Secretary

John Healey is another New Labour veteran, who has served in senior roles under the last five party leaders. He worked for the Trades Union Congress before he was elected in 1997. Mr Healey doesn't have a military background but has served as shadow defence secretary since 2020.

Pat McFadden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Labour's campaigns chief has played a pivotal role in the party's election win - and has been rewarded with a senior job in Government. A great survivor, Mr McFadden worked as a speechwriter for the late John Smith and worked as an aide to Tony Blair before he became an MP in 2005.

Shabana Mahmood - Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary

Birmingham-born barrister Shabana Mahmood helped to transform Labour's electoral machine after the party lost a crunch by-election in 2021. She was appointed as Shadow Justice Secretary last year.

Ms Mahmood, 43, was the only Muslim in the Shadow Cabinet, and played a key role in liaising between MPs and Mr Starmer's office over Gaza.

Wes Streeting - Health Secretary

Wes Streeting, 41, has spoken movingly about how growing up in poverty in east London shaped his politics. He was born to teenage parents and his maternal grandfather was sent to prison for armed robbery, while his grandmother became friends with Christine Keeler who she met in prison.

Mr Streeting was President of the National Union of Students before he was elected as MP for Ilford North in 2015. He was a critic of Jeremy Corbyn but joined Mr Starmer's frontbench in 2020. He took time off after being diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2021 but is now cancer free.

Bridget Phillipson - Education Secretary

Labour's new schools chief Bridget Phillipson grew up in a single parent family on a council estate in Sunderland, where she was reliant on free school meals. Her mum helped to found domestic abuse charity and was a Labour, taking her young daughter to meetings.

Ms Phillipson, who joined Labour at 15, went to Oxford University and was elected in 2010. She has spoken about how she wants to eradicate the "class ceiling" holding children back.

Ed Miliband - Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband has reinvented himself after leading the party to defeat in 2015. The Doncaster North MP was elected for the first time in 2005 after working as a close aide to Gordon Brown. Mr Miliband, 54, became Energy Secretary in 2007 and famously beat his brother David Miliband for the leadership in 2010.

Liz Kendall - Work and Pensions Secretary

First elected in 2010, Liz Kendall served on the frontbench under Ed Miliband. She unsuccessfully stood for the Labour leadership against Jeremy Corbyn in 2015 before returning to the Shadow Cabinet under Keir Starmer.

Jonathan Reynolds - Business and Trade Secretary

The new Business Secretary was first elected in 2010 and has held a number of frontbench roles under Ed Miliband, Jeremy Corbyn and Mr Starmer. He has been shadowing the business brief since 2021.

Before he became MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, he qualified as a lawyer and sat on Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, as well as serving as a local councillor.

Peter Kyle - Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary

Science Secretary Peter Kyle has been MP for Hove since 2015. Before he was elected he worked as an aid worker, helping to establish an orphanage in Romania and working with young victims of the Bosnian and Kosovan War.

He has held numerous shadow roles under Keir Starmer, including Shadow Victims Minister, Schools Minister and Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary.

Louise Haigh - Transport Secretary

The youngest member of the Cabinet, 36-year-old Louise Haigh keeps the key brief that she held in opposition. Born and raised in Sheffield, Ms Haigh is a proud trade unionist and will have the crucial job of renationalising the railways.

Steve Reed - Environment Secretary

First elected in 2012, Steve Reed became involved with politics after campaigning against anti-gay Section 28 laws as a young man. He has spoken about his pride of going from protesting outside Parliament to voting for gay marriage as an MP.

The MP for Streatham and Croydon North, who won 23,232 votes, was appointed Environment Secretary by the PM. Mr Reed, 60, served as Shadow Justice Secretary and Communities Secretary during his years in opposition. Before being an MP, he was Leader of Lambeth Council for more than six years.

Lisa Nandy - Culture Secretary

In the first surprise, Lisa Nandy was promoted to Culture Secretary. Thangam Debbonaire, who held the brief in opposition, lost her Bristol Central seat to the Green Party. Ms Nandy was previously Shadow International Development Secretary, having been demoted from Shadow Levelling Up Secretary in the last reshuffle in 2023.

She is one of the party’s most frequent media performers. She ran against Mr Starmer in the 2020 Labour leadership contest.

Anneliese Dodds - Equalities Minister

Anneliese Dodds keeps the Equalities brief that she held in opposition but she will be a Minister of State - along with a ministerial post in the Foreign Office. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will share it with her so it is represented at Cabinet level but Ms Dodds will also attend Cabinet.

Hilary Benn - Northern Ireland Secretary

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, son of Labour heavyweight Tony Benn, brings experience of running a Government department. He was Secretary of State for International Development under Tony Blair and Environment Secretary when Gordon Brown was PM.

The 70-year-old was first elected in 1999 and won an emphatic 11,000 majority in the new Leeds South constituency this time around.

Ian Murray - Scotland Secretary

First elected in Edinburgh South in 2010 the Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, 47, was the only surviving Labour MP north of the border at both the 2015 and 2019 general elections. He served as Shadow Scottish Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn before quitting in 2016 saying the ex-Labour leader was a "decent human being" but not the right person to lead Labour.

He was re-appointed to the position when Keir Starmer won the Labour leadership back in April 2020 - and remained in the position until his elevation to Cabinet today.

Jo Stevens - Wales Secretary

Jo Stevens keeps the Wales brief as Labour moves from opposition to government. The 57-year-old has been the MP for Cardiff Central since 2015.

Lucy Powell - Commons Leader

Lucy Powell, 49, will take the reins on getting Government business through Parliament after shadowing the brief since last year. First elected in 2010, she worked for Labour in the run-up to the 1997 election and in public affairs.

Baroness Smith - Lords Leader

A veteran of the New Labour years, Baroness Smith of Basildon returns to Cabinet as the Leader of the House of Lords. She has led the party in the upper Chamber since 2015.

New peers

Keir Starmer has handed peerages to Sir Patrick Vallance, allowing him to serve as a Science Minister, and Timpsons boss James Timpson, who been appointed as Prisons Minister. Sir Patrick became a household name during the pandemic as Chief Scientific Adviser, with regular appearances at No10 press conferences.

Mr Timpson has been praised for the success of his scheme rehabilitating ex-offenders through employment in his family's high street shops. Timpsons now employ over 600 prison leavers across the UK.

Jacqui Smith, a former Home Secretary and minister during the New Labour years, was also ennobled to serve as an Education Minister. Top lawyer Richard Hermer KC was given a peerage to allow him to become Attorney General.

Senior ministers

• Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

• Sir Alan Campbell - Chief Whip

• Ellie Reeves - Party Chair and Cabinet Office Minister without Portfolio

• Dan Jarvis - Security Minister

• Jim McMahon - Levelling Up Minister

• Matthew Pennycook - Levelling Up Minister

• Douglas Alexander - Business and Trade Minister

• Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

• Dame Angela Eagle - Home Office Minister

• Stephen Doughty - Foreign Office Minister

• Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary to the Treasury

• Dame Diana Johnson - Home Office Minister

• Daniel Zeichner - Environment Minister

• Lord Hendy - Transport Minister

• Sir Chris Bryant -Science and Culture Minister

• Sir Stephen Timms - Work and Pensions Minister

• Alison McGovern - Work and Pensions Minister

• Sarah Jones - Business and Energy Minister

• Catherine McKinnell - Education Minister

• Stephen Kinnock - Health Minister

• Karin Smyth - Health Minister

• Heidi Alexander - Justice Minister

• Maria Eagle - Defence Minister

• Lord Coaker - Defence Minister